GEORGE NEWS - Within two weeks, more than 20 000 signatures have been added to a petition started by the George Community Police Forum (CPF) in an attempt to get them and local neighbourhood watches (NHWs) added to the list of essential services during the lockdown period.

The petition, which has spread countrywide since it was started in George early in April, has now been signed by more than 80 000 people.

However, neither the CPFs nor any of the NHWsd have been added to the list of essential services and may therefore not operate during the lockdown. "Our petition is growing, but it would seem that the buck stops at the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele," said George CPF chairperson, Rupert Pretorius, this week. "We can't do anything unless we get permission from him."

A big concern for Pretorius is that it seems as if there was never any mention of the CPF or the neighbourhood watches operating on any of the levels of lockdown. "It's as if it isn't even planned for."

According to a press release by the Western Cape Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz, municipalities have been advised that accredited NHWs can be used as disaster risk management volunteers. He also called on Cele to allow NHWs to patrol in their own right - on the basis that NHWs in the Western Cape are accredited and accountable structures.

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